BUKIT JALIL – They were the lower-ranked underdogs playing in their archrivals’ den, but the defiant Lions secured an outstanding 0-0 draw in Malaysia on Dec 20 to qualify for the ASEAN Championship semi-finals.
In the last four, Group A runners-up Singapore will meet the Group B winners who will be decided among Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar on Dec 21. The Lions will host the first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Dec 26 before playing the second leg away on Dec 29.
Meanwhile, Group A winners Thailand, who beat Cambodia 3-2 in Bangkok, will play the Group B runners-up away on Dec 27 and at home on Dec 30.
In front of 31,127 fans at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, the Tigers threw the proverbial kitchen sink at world No. 160 Singapore, but Lions goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud would not be beaten, as his teammates also defended resolutely.
The 34-year-old said: “It was a mature performance and everybody worked hard. This is a tough place to come to, in front of more than 30,000 fans. We stood our ground and I’m so proud of the boys.”
Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura made four changes to the team that started in the 4-2 home defeat by Thailand on Dec 17, resting defender Ryhan Stewart, winger Glenn Kweh, playmaker Kyoga Nakamura and Shawal Anuar, the tournament’s top scorer with four goals.
In came Safuwan Baharudin, Nazrul Nazari, Shahdan Sulaiman and Abdul Rasaq Akeem as the 58-year-old tactician looked to manage his key players’ game time and end the match strongly.
The visitors were the first to cause panic in their opponents’ box with a cross that resulted in goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli clattering into his own defender Jimmy Raymond and conceding a corner.
They also fearlessly played out from the back, conjuring a flowing move in the 36th minute which ended with Faris Ramli curling the ball just over.
But despite starting with a cautious-looking back five, world No. 132 Malaysia started to impose themselves and employed a shoot-on-sight strategy, which resulted in nine shots in the first half.
While most of them were potshots, Izwan pulled off a big stop to deny Haqimi Azim in a one-on-one situation in the 42nd minute to help Singapore enter the break at 0-0.
He was the busier custodian in the second half, as he had to be alert during a Malaysia corner to prevent teammate Lionel Tan’s header from creeping in at the near post just four minutes after the restart.
Izwan then parried substitute Paulo Josue’s free kick on the hour mark, before Daniel Ting’s follow-up effort was deflected wide.
The Lions also led a charmed life when Josue struck the bar twice in the next 10 minutes.
But the 600 Singapore fans who made the trip were encouraged by how their team did not just sit back for the draw.
Shawal and Nakamura’s second-half introductions added quality to Singapore’s attack, as Amirul Adli pushed up from defence to fire a rasping drive that was blocked by Haziq in the 67th minute, before Nakamura chipped just wide in the 81st minute.
Near the end, Singapore came close to scoring through substitutes Stewart and Nakamura in added time, but the draw was enough to seal a semi-final spot for just the second time since their 2012 title win.
Ogura said: “The players are not scared. From the top, to the midfielders and defenders, they were one team, and they wanted to win. The result was a draw, but they didn’t sit back, they chased for goals.
“I told the players if we want to play for a draw, it would be very difficult. When we play to win, we don’t change our football so much. Okay, we took three or four long goal kicks, but most of the time we tried to play passing football.”
While he has been trying to help the Lions build their football identity since his appointment in February, even he was surprised at how positive they were against Thailand and Malaysia.
He admitted: “I never saw them play like this in training, but this is important for their confidence to believe in our football. Now, we have to move forward in the tournament and prepare for the next round.”
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s interim coach Pau Marti Vicente was at a loss for words as he makes way for Australian Peter Cklamovski. The Spaniard, 41, said: “I think we deserved more tonight. We could not have done more. It’s sad that our campaign finished like this.”
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